


sticky fingers

by kimchiimoon



Series: modus operandi [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Domestic Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-10
Updated: 2018-07-10
Packaged: 2019-06-08 12:33:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15243474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kimchiimoon/pseuds/kimchiimoon
Summary: it's hot as balls outside





	sticky fingers

It’s been one of _those_ summers this year.

 

The kind that creeps up a little bit too quickly, cutting spring short with a gasp, drying the air out and choking the flowers. As early as mid-May, the temperatures had steadily climbed, and like a stubborn cat up a tree, refused to come down, and have in fact only gotten hotter, bathing the whole city in a nauseating, orange-hued heat, panting the buildings pink during the sunset.

 

Even going outside to get the _mail_ can be a challenge with such an eager season pressing up against the windows and slinking under the doors.

 

Erwin and Levi may _actually_ be dying.

 

Dressed only in a small pair of spandex shorts — the kind that he would normally wear for modesty under looser workout shorts — and an oversized, loose fitting tank top, Levi stubbornly hits their window air-conditioning unit with his flat palm.

 

The boxy, ancient thing rattles and puffs out a tiny cloud of dust, as if to say, _“Leave me alone, I’m trying, damn it,”_ and goes back to _put-put-puttering_ out pathetic little spurts of just _barely_ cool air.

 

“You piece of shit.” Levi grumbles at the unit.

 

“Give up,” Erwin calls from the kitchen, where he’s got his head in the top of the refrigerator, the freezer section, his hand holding the door open. “We should’ve replaced it back in April.”

 

Levi rolls his eyes and groans, abandoning the busted A/C and turning away from the window.

 

Erwin isn’t faring too well in this heat either. However little clothing Levi is wearing, Erwin is somehow wearing _less_. He can’t even be bothered with a shirt, and is just wearing teeny little red shorts, his ass cheeks hanging out of them. They remind Levi of the speedo that Erwin used to break out during their summer trips back to Europe.

 

Levi wanders into the kitchen, the linoleum under his bare feet feeling grossly wet from the humidity, and knocks his hips against Erwin’s (though his hips really just reach Erwin’s upper thighs, no thanks to their foot in height difference), nudging Erwin out of the way to peer into the freezer.

 

“Oh thank _God_ ,” Levi grins, propping up on his toes to shove a hand into the icy coolness in the back of the freezer.

 

There, in the very back of the ice box, wedged in snow against the wall, is a pair of popsicles, bound together in their packaging.

 

They still have popsicles, by some miracle of the heavens. Levi doesn’t even care if they’re freezer-burned from being forgotten about for two summers in a row — the icier the better.

 

Erwin smiles and scoffs, pretending he’s offended. “Sure, I’d love to move out of the way so you can get an ice pop.” He says, all in good humor, though.

 

Levi rolls his eyes and twists apart the white cellophane packaging, offering one of the popsicles to Erwin, who takes it gratefully. The snow and ice stuck to the wrapper falls to the floor and melts almost instantly, but neither of them pay any mind. It’s so hot that it’ll all evaporate away, eventually.

 

Unwrapping the packaging, Levi’s face falls when he sees that his popsicle is the white color of coconut flavoring, and he turns to watch Erwin open his.

 

Before tearing the package open, Erwin glances at Levi and can’t help but laugh at the downright offended look on his face because of the coconut-flavored lolly.

 

Levi’s frown deepens, and he holds the slowly-melting popsicle between his fingers, and looks at Erwin.

 

“Hurry up and open yours too.” Levi presses.

 

Erwin laughs again, and taps the stick-end of the package against the counter just hard enough for the top of the popsicle to break through the wrapper.

 

And of course, it’s the perfect, refreshing red cherry flavor.

 

Levi’s favorite.

 

Pouting, Levi offers his coconut flavor to Erwin, silently proposing a trade.

 

“You are a _child_ .” Erwin rolls his eyes, but gives Levi the cherry popsicle anyways. He really doesn’t have a preference for his popsicle flavors, but Levi is a picky eater, and doesn’t like artificial fruit flavors _except_ for the red ones.

 

How Levi came to that conclusion, Erwin will never know.

 

“Thank you,” Levi says, his voice a mockery of sincerity, because they both know that Erwin would have traded with him no matter what.

 

Erwin presses the popsicle to his lips and hums in acknowledgement, migrating into the living room, but not before stopping at their asthmatic A/C and examining it. He really doesn’t have a clue what could be wrong with it, because they just replaced the filter in it not even a week ago. Up until recently, all the effort it took to get it back into gear again was a firm slap on the top, but that doesn’t seem to do the trick anymore.

 

 _Oh well,_  Erwin thinks, licking the quickly-melting coconut ice pop. The A/C unit has been in the apartment since the late eighties, long before Erwin and Levi lived there. They’ll probably have to get their landlord to replace it, and hopefully before the _real_ heatwave arrives in mid July.

 

On the couch, Levi looks like he’s just as melted as his cherry popsicle, sitting cross-legged on one side, and flipping through their _Hulu_ watchlist while sucking the popsicle.

 

If it were any less sweltering, Erwin would probably be turned on by the soft red stain the flavoring leaves on Levi’s lips, and the way his cute little tongue licks away at the juice running down the sides of the stick, but, it’s too uncomfortably warm for _anything_ like that, so Erwin just plops heavily on the couch next to Levi, and props his feet up on the coffee table.

 

“Aren’t you glad we didn’t go with the leather?” Erwin muses, wiggling around on the upholstered grey fabric of their couch.

 

Levi sighs gratefully and nods, eyes fixated on his lolly. “Swamp ass is _not_ something to be played with.” He murmurs.

 

Erwin snorts, and he shouldn’t be su surprised by Levi’s deadpan vulgarity after being with him for so many years, but it’s still all apart of his charm.

 

Levi is Erwin’s little potty-mouth brat.

 

He steals the remote from where it’s resting on Levi’s thigh, scanning through their _Hulu_ feed and wrinkling his nose. All of the stuff in their recently watched and queue looks too intense, like something he’ll _actually_ have to pay attention to, when all Erwin really wants to do is melt into a puddle onto the couch with Levi and maybe plan a vacation to the Arctic Circle.

 

Eventually, he settles on Sailor Moon, which doesn’t really surprise Levi, who just leans against Erwin despite the heat, and sighs, licking his popsicle.

 

It’s amazing how even when it’s _Satan’s Ass_ outside, and they can barely even stand to wear clothes (Erwin’s shorts are so far up his ass right now that he might as well be wearing that damned speedo from Europe), Erwin and Levi don’t mind being next to each other. Erwin’s skin is hot as balls, and Levi’s tank top is a little damp with sweat, but neither of them mind. They don’t mind melting ( _suffering in the heat_ ), as long as they’re melting ( _suffering in the heat)_ together.

 

About ten minutes into the episode, long after their popsicles have been eaten, and they’re just sitting like bums on the couch and having a very low-energy sword fight with their popsicle sticks, Levi hums.

 

“Let’s move to Norway and herd reindeer.”

 

Erwin chuckles at the idea, picturing Levi all bundled up in a parka, waddling like a penguin and grumpily chasing down reindeer while he’s knee-deep in snow.

 

It sounds perfect.

 

“I was just going to suggest the same thing.”

 

Honestly, Erwin doesn’t give two shits whether they’re frozen together in a tiny cabin in Norway, surrounded by reindeer, or crammed into a box-apartment in the middle of the city, sweating their asses off with a broken A/C unit in the corner.

 

They can make the best out of any situation.

**Author's Note:**

> feedback is always appreciated, i hope you enjoyed


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